International School of Colour + Design

Graphic design can be found everywhere and is essential to the success of any business. The fields of advertising, publishing, television and fashion to name a few, offer great opportunities for skilled and creative designers who dare to take risks and stand out from the crowd. 

iscd is your first step toward an exciting career in the field of visual communication, specialising in printed media. Not only will you develop the core skills essential to becoming a graphic designer, you will just as importantly develop strong creative problem solving abilities allowing you to offer creative solutions that go far and above your client's expectations.

Graphic designers work on a huge variety of projects and our Diploma will ensure you are exposed to this variety in order to prepare you for the real world of design. Projects are industry relevant and include a range of exciting briefs such as creating corporate and small business identity, packaging designs, marketing materials and brochures, CD and poster design. Take your original concepts and turn them into something new, exciting and unexpected!

Each project becomes progressively more challenging as your skills build until you are able to expertly respond to complex design briefs with confidence.

Using the Adobe industry standard software, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and Acrobat, you will be taught by industry professionals who are dedicated to sharing their knowledge and skills with you. The resulting portfolio you create from this Diploma will ensure you get the attention of any client or potential employer!

Subject Areas

The Graphic Design Diploma teaches you the following topics for the printed environment:

• An introduction to Graphic Design
• The role of a graphic designer
• Application of design theory to design practices
• Client analysis
• Creative problem solving - developing and responding to briefs
• Colour psychology 
• Colour systems: Pantone and CMYK
• Typography techniques for design work
• Prepare text and graphic files for print processing
• Business development 
• Business identity design development
• Product and packaging design (3D)
• Image retouching
• Effective presentation skills

Professional Outcomes

The Graphic Design Diploma will enable you to:

• Become a Graphic Designer
• Work as a freelance designer or with a studio
• Become a member of the design industry 

Personal Outcomes

The Graphic Design Diploma is a rewarding personal experience that will:

• Inspire you to work within the industry
• Enable you to create long lasting friendships and connections with like-minded students
• Teach you how to interact confidently and creatively with fellow designers and industry professionals
• Enable you to find pleasure and pride in the process of consulting to a client
• Give you great pleasure and a sense of personal satisfaction in producing a portfolio for exhibition
• Allow you to develop yourself creatively

Inclusions

An extensive textbook is supplied that covers all content of this course. Exposure to key industry professionals are arranged via on and off campus presentations throughout the course, allowing students to network with potential clients and/or employers

Duration

On campus - 30 lessons of 3 hours (12 months).  Courses commence February and July .

Entry Requirements

The iscd Foundation Course - Certificate IV in Design, is the prerequisite for the Graphic Design Diploma.

We offer 'Recognition of Prior Learning' for those students already practiced in design techniques or with extensive experience in the design industry.